The invention relates to the field of video games, and specifically to methods and systems for displaying control input. Many video games feature one or more characters directed by at least one player. A player provides control input through a control device, such as a joystick, to direct the activities of characters. Depending upon the type of game and the context in which control inputs are received, character responses may or may not be immediately visible to a player.
For example, in a hockey video game, the player may provide control input via a joystick to direct the motion of one or more characters. Typically, a player's control input in this context is immediately visible, as the video game moves the character as directed by the control input. Additionally, the player can provide a control input, such as a pressing a button, to direct the character to shoot the puck towards an opponent's goal. To provide additional interactivity and challenge to the video game, many hockey video games allow the player to aim or direct the puck towards a specific region of the goal. In typical prior video game control schemes, this is accomplished by moving the joystick in a direction of a region of the goal at the same time or shortly after providing shot control input. For example, moving the joystick to an “up” position during a shot control input will direct the character to aim the puck towards the top region of the goal, while moving the joystick to a “lower-right” position will direct the character to aim the puck towards the bottom right region of the goal.
In prior video games, the results of this aiming command are not visible to the player until after the shot has been taken. To receive confirmation of his or her aiming command, the player must observe the position of the object, such as a puck, when it arrives at its destination, for example the goal. Because players cannot see the intended destination of their shot until after the shot has been completed, the level and quality of interactivity of the video game is decreased. The lack of visual aim indicators makes it difficult for beginning players to acquire the fundamental skills of the game. For more advanced players, the lack of visual feedback during the aiming process makes it difficult to quickly and precisely perform the full range of available shots in the video game, which unnecessarily limits players' strategies and slows the pace of gameplay.
It is therefore desirable for a system and method to provide players with a visual indication of an object's intended destination during the aiming process to enhance the interactivity of video games. It is further desirable for the visual indication to be intuitive to understand and to avoid unnecessarily complicating the game. It is also desirable for the system and method to be easily implemented in a variety of different types of games and to provide players with additional options for customizing games to their tastes.